The book then goes on to include a pet peeve of Kamila Shamsie, the partition of India and the creation of Pakistan.It is a constant theme in her work as her own family had to move to Pakistan at the time of partition. My book Amnion is an attempt to challenge many of these aspects of the epic. Although it is a long poem, Amnion offers (or at least, such is my hope) a form of anti- or counter-epic: it is an attempt to honour a fractured family history and give it its due weight.

Kamila Shamsie opens a vista onto the century we have just lived through--pointing out its terror and its solace. She is so extraordinary a writer that she also offers hints about the century we are living through--the dark corners that contain challenges, as well as the paths that lead to beauty's lair.Kamila Shamsie was born in 1973 in Pakistan. Her first novel, In the City by the Sea, was shortlisted for the Mail on Sunday/John

No." James shook his head. 'If there ever was a time we were interested in entering your world in that way, it's long past. And you wouldn't know what to do with us if we tried." Burnt Shadows is audacious in its ambition, epic in its scope. A startling expansion of the author's intentions, imagination and craftsmanship. One can only admire the huge advances she has made, and helped us to make, in understanding the new global tensions.” — Anita Desai Raza is full of anxiety after Steve accuses him of being involved in Harry's death. He knows that he is up against all of the powers of the U.S. government, where they will invade his life searching for evidence. Raza knows that they will come after him even if they do not have evidence that he committed the crime. His religion and nationality mark him as suspicious in the eyes of the government. He is completely powerless.

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In this passage, Harry is musing on his involvement with the CIA and his feelings about the United States. In Harry's perspective, the United States is the greatest country in the world as it is a "nation of migrants" where, to belong, "all you had to do was show yourself willing to be American" (174). Harry justifies his involvement in the Afghan War because of his ideological support of capitalism and the American Dream. This ideology reflects that of many Americans, who justify American involvement in foreign wars because they believe in "a single democratic country in power." As well as disclosing allusions, Shamsie also discloses her theme. As I said, the constant evolution of the story makes it difficult, in a pleasant way, to know what it is about. Unfortunately at the end of the novel, Shamsie, via a conversation between two characters, more or less gives the reader a theme, perhaps the theme, of the novel. I didn’t like that. I don’t want to be too critical here. These are minor annoyances in an otherwise fine novel. A very ambitious novel, that for the most part achieves its ambitions. At times, though, it could use more subtlety. The gamma radiation released by the atomic bombs also traveled as thermal energy that could reach 10,000 degrees Fahrenheit (5,538 degrees Celsius), Real Clear Science reported. When the energy hit an object, like a bicycle or a person, the energy was absorbed, shielding objects in the path and creating a bleaching effect outside the shadow. We are accused of sympathising if we say that a young man who goes out there is anything other than a monster These are great, familiar stories, retranslated and adapted again and again. They’re some of the most famous texts in western literature. And epic has historically been a very top-down genre: nationalistic (the Aeneid), featuring heroes whose valour and virtue are validated by their high birth (King Arthur, Beowulf, even Aragorn in Lord of the Rings). I am fascinated by the nation-building aspect of epic, not to mention its masculine, martial traditions; it is something in which I, a woman of mixed cultural heritage, felt I had no place.

Hiroko Tanaka has had the misfortune of experiencing the pain of some of the twentieth century’s most horrific man-made tragedies. As a young woman in Japan during WWII, she saw the impact on her own life of the rapid change in Japan’s war fortunes. Where once she had worked as a school teacher, she has been dismissed from her job because her father was outspoken against the war, and must now spend her days in a munitions factory. Where once she could associate with her German lover, Konrad, more or less openly, they must now be discrete following Germany’s defeat as he is now viewed with suspicion.

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Burnt shadows are excellently written by Kamila Shamise. She depicts an unmatchable panoramic vision of later half of 20th century .The story begins with the horrifying picture of atomic bomb dropping in Nagasaki and its worst impacts and damage on the protagonist character of this novel .No doubt Kamaila shamise is an outstanding writer, she earned lot of fame especially for writing worth reading novels .In the same way Burnt Shadows bears excellence. Munro’s characters are very much realistic and original .In comparison to her male characters her female characters are more active and worth appreciating .In Burnt shadows women characters are presented as very much progressive adapetative and realistic .Her females are more strong and they bears very strong moral and ethical characters and emotional strength than the male characters of the novel. The female characters are presented and painted in such a way that it remains quite easy for any reader to believe on them that these type of women characters can really exist in real life. The Novel Burnt Shadows is a story about its major character Hiroko Tania .Her character is very much original and real enough to believe in .Her character is flexible and who always believe in keep on moving ahead, this s because of her positivity that despite of the occurrence of huge tragic incident like the dropping of atomic bomb and facing the disaster caused by it digesting the worst damage gifted by it .But she gives her life another chance that she moves to India and accepts Sajjid’s love and marries him but her sufferings seems un end able as she has to leave Delhi coz of chaos and anarchy caused by Pak-India partition, later she loses her son Raza and moves to New York .If we see and analyze the character of Elizabeth ,her character is also realistic which symbolically represents all the women victim in the male dominated society. She is a common wife living under the complete dominance and working under the finger tips of her husband James Burton. She is very much sad and gloomy deep inside but even though she fulfills all the due duties & responsibilities of a wife very well. She never demands or complaint for equality rather always tries to present herself a happy aristocratic modern wife. Chapter 3 3.1 Research Question

Writers too numerous to name have co-opted and wrestled with the epic tradition. Below are just a few of my favourite epics – which I have been deliberately playful in defining as such. Years later, Elizabeth and Hiroko end up moving to New York to try to find some stability in their lives. Elizabeth has divorced her husband James, and taken on her original identity now that the war is over. Kim, Harry's daughter, spends a lot of time with the aging women. No, you haven’t.’ He lifted a hand into the space between them. ‘And I’ve never seen you in yours.’ Shamsie’s historical fiction is also unapologetically political, portraying strong opinions on hot-button topics. This is a writer not afraid to be publicly critical of the “Islamization” of her native country in her fiction. She is outspoken on the subject of women’s treatment, unafraid to delve into the Indian version of the chaos during the Peshawar massacre of 1930, as well as able to offer a strong Muslim-focused point of view of the Partition. The issue of patriarchy — as a type of imperialism — is also deeply embedded in both novels. Hiroko and Vivian often express negative opinions on this issue, regardless of the different periods in which they live — and the author’s personal opinion on patriarchy is unambiguous: “Wherever in the world you go, you’re living in the world’s oldest and most pervasive empire, which is the empire of patriarchy. I don’t know a place I’ve been to where it doesn’t exist.” 3The archeological theme that threads through the book originated from the author’s fascination with ancient history: “The city of Peshawar is so rich in material for a novelist. It’s been continuously inhabited for over 2500 years and was part of the Persian empire (Herodotus writes about it); Alexander and his armies came through there; later it became one of the great centers of Buddhism; and it’s home to the extraordinary syncretic Gandhara art which shows all these influences. One of the first things I knew about the novel was that it would have archaeologists and an ancient artifact that everyone was looking for (perhaps my childhood love for Indiana Jones coming through there).” Hiroko and Elizabeth bond over their shared connection with Konrad. They speak in German, which feels like their "secret language." Elizabeth is grateful to have a companion in her home, as her marriage with James has gotten more tense and difficult. Elizabeth and James take Hiroko to a party where the other English settlers treat her as both an insider and an outsider in their world. Elizabeth and Hiroko discuss the recent announcement that the British government is soon planning to pull out of India. Kamila shamise has presented the image of women very positive clear, conclusive confident, decisive, specific & affirmative .In her writings women is always given an important role, especial place. A burnt shadow is very much feminist texts which explore the feminine psyche of the women characters. Hiroko, who is the protagonist character & her very psyche, is depicted very well by the novelist throughout the novel. Though she faces number of tragedies throughout her life but even then she remains positive and optimist No where she is observed as spreading negativity .As a individual she is a strong character and firm believer of Feminism. She at no cost considers herself inferior in terms of sex or gender .neither she wants other women to consider their self as low or less important creature. On other hand, Elizabeth Burton who is apparently introduced as modern aristocrat wife living quite happily with her husband but actually its wise versa .She acts to look happy under the dominance of her conservative and narrow-minded husband But in reality she remains unhappy and gloomy deep inside .she curse her such condition inside her heart but never dares rather never wants to share her problems with other not even Hiroko. But when Hiroko with her intelligence notice it she tries to convince Elizabeth being an active Feminist but she rejects her sympathies by giving the proof loyalty with her husband .Her husband is very narrow minded person .In this way Shamise has presented two contrasting aspects of feminism by depicting some characters as Active Feminist & some anti- Feminist . Chapter 4 Methodology 4.1 Feminism in Burnt Shadows in the light of textual references